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Buster Abbott
Kevin "Buster" Abbott (born June 24, 1984) is an American professional wrestler who has competed for the Professional Grappling Association since March of 2009. Abbott is a fan favorite who competes in the company's heavyweight division, but has also spent a considerable amount of time in the tag team division with a variety of different partners. Abbott is the self-proclaimed "biggest PGA fan in history," a gimmick that is apparently true to life and based on his real-life collection of PGA videos and DVDs that number into the thousands. Early life Kevin Abbott is a native of Washington, D.C. He and his brother John were raised by their mother, Beatrice, after the tragic death of their father in an auto accident when Kevin was an infant. To support her boys, Mrs. Abbott began working at a hair salon, eventually taking over ownership and founding the first of four "Bea's Hive" salons in the greater D.C. area. His mother's hard work meant that Kevin and John were able to enjoy a fairly comfortable middle-class upbringing, though both boys themselves took jobs at an early age in a tribute to the family work ethic. Kevin's lifelong passion for pro wrestling began at age six, when he became an avid fan of PGA's old Slam-a-Doo Saturday program. The biggest thrill of his young life came in 1994, when Abbott was selected from hundreds of entrants to participate in a PGA public service announcement alongside one of his wrestling heroes, Zane "Zubaz" Vance. Though this PSA became famous to PGA fans years later for sparking an on-screen rivalry between Abbott and Vance, in real life, the two became pen pals and future training partners. Early career Abbott's first entry into the pro wrestling business came at the early age of 14, when he was hired as a ring boy for Gerry "Dog" McNeil's local DCWF promotion. He remained in this job throughout his teenage years while attending Woodrow Wilson Senior High School, where he was leader of the school's pep squad and also the city senior heavyweight freestyle wrestling champion in his senior year. Though Abbott spent his time learning about the business and training under McNeil and (when the PGA was in the area) Zane Vance, his first actual professional match didn't take place until the fall of 2003 due to Beatrice Abbott's insistence that her son finish high school before starting to wrestle. In addition to what he learned from McNeil and Vance, Abbott also taught himself various moves and styles that he learned from watching countless hours of Japanese and European wrestling videos. D.C. Wrestling Federation (2003-2009) Abbott's first character was 'The Savage Senator,' Philip Buster. Though intended as comic relief, DCWF fans vociferously booed a politics-based character given that he debuted during the Bush Administration. This reaction led to a rather sudden push up the card, as Philip Buster began to challenge for the DCWF's heavyweight title, held at the time by "The Towson Tornado" Terry Foote. Buster's heel turn was made complete when he powerbombed Foote through the ringside announce table, declaring that "the matter had been tabled." Buster and Foote competed in a series of matches over the next few months, with Foote constantly getting the better of the still-green challenger. A frustrated Buster finally introduced 'a special motion' to challenge once again for the title in a tag team match, only to shock the DCWF fans by introducing Foote's long-time ally Benny Brock as his partner. This led to a long feud between Foote and Brock, with Buster moving into somewhat of a managerial role for Brock. A broken leg suffered in a training accident led to a brief hiatus from wrestling while Abbott both recuperated and finished a degree in information systems at Strayer University's D.C. campus. Abbott made his triumphant return to the ring in 2006, wrestling under his own name with only the 'Buster' kept as a nickname. (In storyline terms, the Savage Senator had seen the light after Hurricane Katrina.) Abbott became a fan favorite, battling such DCWF notables as Brock, Will Gravy, Eddie Lucas and Schadenfreude Simpson. In 2007, when POWER Pro Wrestling and the DCWF began an interpromotional 'invasion' storyline, Abbott was a key figure in defending his 'home turf' against the Pennsylvanian invaders. Since Abbott was much larger than almost all the POWER Pro competitors, however, Buster's involvement in the storyline was limited largely to tag matches, teaming with a variety of partners to try and win the DCWF's tag titles back from POWER Pro's Lizard Law. Perhaps the most memorable of these challenges was when Buster brought in his old mentor Zane Vance in a surprise cameo appearance to battle Lizard Law at Anarchy In Allentown '08. Behind the scenes, Abbott was learning from the POWER Pro high-flyers how to incorporate more acrobatic moves into his arsenal, as well as mastering many of the '-buster' moves that make up his arsenal in PGA. Professional Grappling Association (2009-present) Abbott fulfilled his dream of becoming a PGA star when he was drafted by the company's World Talent Initiative. He was initially planned to fill the role of the Black Red Rooster, but a shoulder injury pushed his debut back until after the Crowning A Champion's Waist pay-per-view. He wrestled under his own name on the March 25 edition of PGA Primetime Wednesday!, defeating Larry Little Feather in his debut match. Buster moved on to lose to Rusty Cooledge and Lester Balaam Jackson in his next two outings, suffering a real-life facial injury in his match with Jackson that sidelined him for a few weeks. The Black Juice Buster returned to action at the Throwing Hands pay-per-view, in an 'odd couple' pairing with Ari Richter as part of the U.S. Tag Team Championship gauntlet. Abbott and Richter entered the match in the No. 7 position (out of eight), but were eliminated by Lucharesu.com. The following week on PTW, Abbott defeated GANJU in the opening match of "the Buster Abbott Throwing Hands U.S. Tag Title Gauntlet Revenge Tour," wherein Buster would face the other competitors in the gauntlet in an effort to 're-live' the memories of that classic match. Buster's partner for the majority of this gauntlet would be Richter, as it was revealed that their original partnership came about due to a debt of $41.12 that Abbott owed Richter for unwittingly making long-distance calls on Richter's cell phone a month earlier. To pay back the debt, Buster instead promised that he would make it up to Ari by 'giving him a victory.' This victory proved to be hard to achieve, however, as the duo suffered losses to The New Deal and The Cavendish Estate in the Gauntlet. Richter then wanted Abbott to interfere in his World Junior Heavyweight Championship match with Brutal Chambers, but Buster (torn over the idea of not being a 'good dude' for the fans) only half-heartedly lent his assistance and Richter lost again. The partnership was both cemented and destroyed in the same edition of Primetime Wednesday on June 24. Buster dubbed the team 'the Black Juice,' a combination of Buster's African-American background and a mishearing of Richter's "really ripped Jew" nickname. (Buster's storyline interpretation was "imagine you were squeezing fruit and a bunch of black juice came out. That would be messed up! It'd be nasty, it'd freak you out, and you wouldn't to deal with that at all...just like we'll be the nasty-ass duo that none of the other PGA tag teams will want to deal with!") After they lost a three-way match with the Estate and the New Deal, the tension in the team finally boiled over and Buster socked Richter on the jaw. Buster was thrilled to be in his "very first tag-team break-up feud" and eliminated Richter from the Mall For It All battle royale at PGA's The Grandest Stage Of The Mall pay-per-view. The two finally clashed on the July 16 Primetime Wednesday! when Richter used a money clip (loaded with $41.12) to knock out Buster and get the pin, thus finally gaining the long-awaited victory that was owed to him. The Gauntlet Ends, And Tiger GAO IV Is Born Buster completed his gauntlet with a win over Mario Nyet on PTW's July 22 installment. The full list of matches, with all taking place on Primetime Wednesday! unless otherwise noted... *'May 13': Buster Abbott defeats GANJU *'May 20': The New Deal defeats Black Juice (Buster Abbott and Ari Richter) *'May 30': Buster Abbott and Ajay Rupa defeat President's Day (this match took place at a PGA house show in Fargo, North Dakota, scheduled to make up for a TV taping that was canceled last winter in the aftermath of the split with USA). *'June 10': No Contest --- Black Juice vs. The Cavendish Estate *'June 17': Buster Abbott defeats Internetico and Bunraku (three-way dance) *'June 24': The Cavendish Estate defeats Black Juice and The New Deal (three-way dance...this match was a 'pit stop' on the tour to explain the absences of original gauntlet teams G.I.M.P. and the Arashikazes) *'July 16': Ari Richter defeats Buster Abbott *'July 23': Buster Abbott defeats Mario Nyet Following Buster's win over Mario Nyet, he had a million ideas for another match with Richter, but B. Armstrong Ruby instead sent Abbott on a brief tour of Japan with PGA's sister company AAPW. Buster met the original Tiger GAO, Otomo Okada, which was a thrill for the Washingtonian since he was a major fan of the current mask-wearer, Tiger GAO III. He expressed these feelings to TG3 and his mentor, Raijin Narukami, when he returned to the States, and begged Narukami to let Tiger GAO III be Team AAPW's unnamed 'fourth man' in their eight-man tag match with The Cool Kids at Remain Alive. Since Narukami wasn't forthcoming with his plans for the mystery partner and seemingly had no desire to put his protege in the match, his partners "Mammoth" Kang JumBo and Ajay Rupa even inquired if Buster Abbott could join their team. Narukami refused this idea since Abbott didn't have the emotional stake in the match that the others did. Buster teamed with TG3 to defeat old nemesis Ari Richter and wacky Aussie Andrew McPhee in a tag match on the last Primetime Wednesday before Remain Alive. However, on that very same show, Tiger GAO III turned on Narukami and aligned himself with the Cool Kids. Team AAPW were seemingly a man short in their big pay-per-view challenge. The trio even began the match by rushing the Cool Kids a man down, but once the bell rung, the fourth man was introduced --- a mask-clad Buster Abbott, introduced as 'Tiger GAO IV.' The bout ended up being the most important of Buster's young career to date, as the elimination tag bout came down to just he and Tiger GAO III, now wrestling under his actual name of MAKOTO. Buster withstood the young junior-heavyweight's attack and overcame the emotional trauma of beating one of his wrestling idols by dispatching MAKOTO after a devastating Cropduster Buster splash from the top rope. It was the first time Abbott had debuted the move in competition, and the moment has often been considered to be one of the most iconic images of PGA's first year of relaunched existence. Following the PPV, Buster became embroiled in a feud with Cool Kids member Rusty Cooledge, which led to a vicious strap match between the two at Cargado Completamente. In the weeks leading up to Cargado, Buster was instrumental in Rusty's defeat at the hands of the previously winless Stevens N. Stevens. While this shocking upset enraged Rusty, it also surprisingly angered Stevens, as this instance of getting "favoritism" from a main roster member almost caused Stevens to lose his tenous hold as leader of the Enhanced faction. Though Buster didn't quite understand why "the jobbers" were all so upset, he was nevertheless dismayed at letting down his friend Stevens. Buster himself became a target of Enhanced under Pierre Kirby's leadership, though the faction's attempts at sneak-attacking Buster backstage were largely fruitless. A chaotic month for Abbott ended with a tough loss to Cooledge in the pay-per-view strap match in Mexico City. The 'Black Dude' Era After a week off of TV (and a memorable "training for a comeback" video about his latest nose injury), Abbott returned to issue an open challenge that was answered by old rival Ari Richter, who had since devolved into a psychotic homeless person. The match ended in disqualification when Richter would not stop attacking Buster, and Abbott was spared further injury due to the intervention of Zane "Zubaz" Vance, who had been having a minor feud with Richter. Once Richter had been chased off, however, Buster angrily shoved Vance aside. In the subsequent weeks, Abbott re-aired that old PGA PSA that he and Vance filmed years earlier, and claimed that Zubaz's comical treatment of him in that commercial had created a long-brewing dislike of the surfing grappler. Vance, for his part, felt that Buster was just a child actor playing a role and should "get over it," so to speak, and the two seemed destined for a match. However, acting general manager Gregory Michael Funman felt that the tension between the two fan favourites could be channeled into a formidable tag team (and plenty of marketing opportunities), and Funman booked the two into the tag-team title gauntlet match at the Final Four pay-per-view. On the final edition of Primetime Wednesday before the PPV, Zubaz eliminated Buster en route to winning the Bracket-Buster battle royale that Abbott himself created as a 'consolation prize' for eliminated competitors from the World Juniors Cup and XX Division Title tournaments. Like most Funman ideas, the 'Black Dude' team seemed doomed to failure, but both Abbott and Vance were too proud to let a title opportunity go to waste. Entering third in the gauntlet, Black Dude shocked the PGA world by eliminating Lucharesu.com. Though Abbott and Vance were eliminated by the next competitors in the match (The Cavendish Estate), it was still an auspicious debut for the newly-formed team. The partnership continued past Final Four, as Funman wanted to promote a second gauntlet revenge tour for Abbott. Black Dude defeated the Guns For Hire and lost to the Estate, and it seemed as if Abbott and Vance were beginning to warm to each other. The two even joined forces for a new PSA on the topic of gun safety --- many fans and pundits consider this to be one of the top comedy segments in PGA history. Buster suffered a bittersweet singles loss to his friend "Mammoth" Kang JumBo in a PTW main event from Buster's own home town of Washington in what ended up being the last match of the revenge tour thanks to a returning B. Armstrong Ruby. In an effort to teach Buster a lesson about "competitive aggression," Ruby booked Abbott against Vance in a qualifying match for the Ladder War match at Crossfire. Buster posted a clean win over Zubaz on the first Primetime Wednesday of 2010, and the two shook hands afterwards in a good sign of sportsmanship and friendship. Ladder War and Beyond At Ladder War, Abbott recorded the biggest victory of his career, defeating Jack Cavendish, GANJU, Yoshihiro Jin, Helm Konrad, The Puppeteer and Ajay Rupa in a seven-man ladder match to earn a title shot at the championship of his choice. Buster set his sights on the PGA World Heavyweight Championship, and was prepared to use his title shot to challenge then-champion King Falcon at Crowning A Champion's Waist 2010. However, Buster had taken to wearing the commemorative title belt that was hung above the ring as the prize of Ladder War and referring to the belt as an actual title. This presented an opportunity for the opportunistic Snake Eyes --- he and his Bastards Club crew attacked Abbott just before Buster was about to officially announce his title challenge and stole the Ladder War belt. Snake Eyes (who had lost a career match to the Mountain and the Sky the previous month) tried to leverage the stolen belt into a match with Abbott at CACW for possession of the title shot. Incredibly, Buster agreed to the challenge, again falling back on wrestling conventions rather than common sense, in the eyes of some. One of those questioning Buster's decision was Slyclops IX, who had recently befriended Abbott as part of a burgeoning 'good dudes alliance' that would keep the PGA faces watching each other's backs against various backstage threats. Slyclops was originally recruited by Buster to be his manager at CACW, but B. Armstrong Ruby (frustrated at Buster for giving Snake Eyes a door back into PGA) ended up putting Sly into the match, making it a three-way dance. Titled a 'Double Down Match' where you had to pin the other two competitors to win, Buster actually lost the two first falls of the bout (one each to Slyclops and Snake Eyes) before coming back to win the match and 'reclaim' the Ladder War shot that he never technically lost. In wrestling * Finishing moves **''Buster Buster'' (Step-up avalanche brainbuster) **''Cropduster Buster Splash'' (Diving splash) *'Signature moves' **Brainbuster **Fisherman buster **Muscle buster **Double underhook facebuster **'Powerbomb Buster' (Throwing package powerbomb) **Enzuigiri *'Managers' *'Nicknames' **"Buster" **"Tiger GAO 3.5" *'Music' **Alessi - Savin' The Day - current entrance theme **Outkast - Bowtie - original entrance theme **Survivor - Eye of the Tiger - as Tiger GAO 3.5 **Tag Team - Whoomp! (There It Is) - when teaming with Zane Vance Championships and accomplishments *'Professional Grappling Association' **U.S. Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) - with John Abbott External links *Buster Abbott on Twitter *Buster Abbott on Facebook Category:U.S. Tag Team Champions